Mets Asdrubal Cabrera out at least 2 weeks with knee injury

New York Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera will be out for at least two weeks due to a knee injury, the team announced on Friday.

The injury occurred during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 10. In the first inning Cabrera was running from first to second and decided not to slide into second base. He was taken out of the game a couple of pitches later. He had an MRI and was diagnosed with a strained patella tendon in his left knee, according to the Associated Press. Cabrera flew to New York on Friday to have a platelet rich plasma injection.

"I was running -- with the fly ball -- to second, and thinking slide," Cabrera said. "I saw the bad throw, so I tried to stay up. I felt something in my knee. It's sore right now."

Cabrera signed a two-year, $18.5 million contract with the Mets in December. He hit .265 with 15 homeruns with the Tampa Bay Rays last year, according to MLB.com. He has averaged 17 homeruns over the last five years with the Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays.

Cabrera will be idle for at least two weeks. He could resume baseball activity after that if he is comfortable. It appears likely that he will start the season on the disabled list. Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores will play shortstop while Cabrera is out.